Rather than go point by point, I'll try to encapsulate my take on the pluses and minuses of the platforms.
First, some corrections. You can in fact run third-party apps in the background in iOS 4, just not every type or unconditionally. Which leaves a lot to be desired....
I don't think an interchangeable battery is needed when you can get an external battery sled like a mophie Juice Pack; arguably, that's easier than a second battery.
Nothing is easier than carrying an extra battery in on one's wallet and not making the device any bigger than it already is. (I never even use cases because they make the phone bulkier)
Also, there is most definitely censorship of apps. Skype and Google search on Verizon? Non-Market apps on AT&T? Google itself has yanked a few apps, too. The filtering might be much gentler than it is on Apple's side at times, but you also see carriers having control over the stock phone than you'd want.
The filtering is almost non existent and really only serves to disallow apps that require rooting. whihc most people won't use anyway. Verizon is as bad a Apple when it comes to control LOL
Google search is available on Verizon it is just not defaulted on the device....But all that can be changed. That asisde again that is a plus for Android. you can choose the hardware AND the carrier of your choice.
Carrier choice isn't an iPhone problem -- it's an AT&T exclusivity problem. The OP has *five* carrier choices for the iPhone in Canada. Plus, even if it were an American, the Verizon model is due early 2011. Android choice is sometimes a red herring, since you have to switch carriers if you don't like what your existing provider offers, even if there's more than one Android phone on the network. A Sprint user will never get a Droid X.
But he will get an EVO and a few other Andropid choices...more than just one. Choice of hardware is a good thing unless one really believes the iphone is the end all which is a pretty fair generalization of their user base.
There are definite advantages to Android in its stock form. The notification system is definitely better (note: Apple hired Palm's notification designer just a few months ago). Widgets on the home screen are nice. Mass storage is good for file transfers. And of course, there's fuller multitasking.
But it's not quite so cut and dry. Again, for a normal person -- no one who loads custom ROMs is normal -- the Android experience is increasingly defined by what the carrier allows you to do, not what Google has in the code.
I have not found that to be true. My phone is completely vanilla from ATT and even Samsung. I can do anything i want with it (and did). I am only limited by the Carrier when it comes to frequencies and reception. Before I cutomized my phone it was not all that ATT locked up. I don't have pay ATT for NAV I use free Google Nav (and could out of the box) I did not have to use ATT Mobile TV......ATT does not really have a whole lot on the device and everything can be removed without penalty or if you are not rooted, neatly tucked away
Not to mention that Google's experience with anything having to do with media (other than YouTube) simply sucks. There's no truly elegant way to load up on media, and even apps like DoubleTwist don't really fly.
Actually I can use Double Twist fine if I want an "iphone" kind of experience with syncing but after having an an Itouch for the past two years, don't find Itunes "elegant" by any stretch. I hated it on may levels. Media Monkey is fine for music, I use WINAMP AP player for music and it works as well as the PC APP...Video players work fine. I can watch hundreds of live (or recorded) TV feeds FREE using Flash TV. I would say Media is a very strong suit of the phone.
Local sync? What's local sync? Social networking and Gmail sync is awesome, but we've also seen a rash of complaints from people whose Android contact lists get polluted by all the Facebook contacts they didn't want to add. Microsoft does that better in WP7 because it can compare the Facebook list with your local contacts.
The people who are getting their Contacts "polluted' with Social medai contacts have not learned how to use their phone. LOL One can SELECT the contacts they want synced which is a good thing because their FB pictures sync to the Gmal contact. Yeah they can screw themselves if they don't uncheck a box and find their Gmail contact list loaded with 9000 "friends" LOL. There is a box that says ONLY sync GMAIL contacts....or a box that says download ALL FB contacts. I know. I made that mistake too..Android requires some reading....
And no, Flash does not make it like the desktop. It just doesn't. Certain video won't play because it chokes the processor, many interactive elements won't work without a mouse, and the relatively slow Internet connection and processor can quickly make a speedy Nexus One slower than a iPhone 3GS because of all the large, CPU-heavy banner ads that suddenly appear. Having the option would be nice, but Adobe's current execution is poor.
I could not disagree more....I would not own a web device without flash...Period. The sites I use for market tracking use flash...........the Mobile TV I watch is all in flash. I have not found a video it could not play on the net. I can go to the same sites on my 11 inch Dell AW with the phone right next to the PC and see the SAME things exactly. The stock browser is good enough. I tried a few others but the stock browser is a winner.
Calling the iPhone's appeal just a matter of cachet (not cache, that's a hiding place for things) is pretty facile. It overlooks that, for many people, the iPhone is better simply for getting things done -- not fiddling with custom firmware or installing UI mods. I definitely think Apple needs to loosen up and keep building in more features into iOS, but when an iPhone user has more browser search choices than someone with a Fascinate or the upcoming Merge on Verizon, that's a pretty sad statement.
Cachet......corrected. For many it is. When something becomes a fad it's time to buy stock...whether CROX, Hollister or Apple but if they go out of favor.....(see CROX)
Iphone is way better for those plug and play types where no reading or analytical thinking is required. its EASY..."pic a box" "plug it in and press "sync" I sync my apps and Data OTA with Appbrain on a shedule... and they are also backed up automatically on my SD card (and Dropbox online) on a schedule. My media is also synced online automatically though Photobucket and Picassa. Between Appbrain, mybackup pro and Titanium back up I am more than covered...Not to mention completely backing up my root and SD folder VIS USB to my notebook.
I used an itouch for two years because my N97 was klutzy on wifi and the applications were not as readily available but the reception was way better on the Nokia. I bought and sold two iphones and bought an Itouch and N97 and carried both around. I did not think 3G data was worth $750 a year for two phones.....
I am in Wifi areas 90% of the time.
So when ATT dropped their data plans on smart phones to $15 and I looked at Android.... I felt i had the best of the iPhone without the worst of the iphone.....and the best part is I don;t have to carry around an itouch for wifi anymore.
Android is not for everyone. Iphone won't be hurt at all. The only think that will hurt the iPhone is if it suddenly becomes the RZR of 2011....Many iphone users pride themselves in having the best technology has to offer. Apple has become a CACHET brand. Like Land Rovers , all the cool people in Hollywood use Macs and iphones...LOL... At some point those people are not going to want to be seen with a perceived 4 year old device. I don't think iphone will have the same luck Harley Davidson has had. At some point Apple needs to get away from those icon boxes and really allow some real informational home screens...and open up a little.
Well I think the OP has a good idea which way to go. Good information on both sides . Enough to make an informed decision...LOL
